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Warning: Creating default object from empty value in /home/ronnie/public_html/txtSQL.class.php on line 738The Academic Friends of Israel

The Academic Friends of Israel

26 June 2007

Dear Colleagues

UCU Boycott news

Have you asked your Universities or Colleges to issue a statement condemning an academic boycott of Israel? Don’t forget to pass their responses back to us.

So far we only know of three out of 105 UK Universities who have issued a statement on a boycott. The Russell group and the 1994 group have issued statements on behalf of their 43 members, but we need declarations from each of the Universities in the UK. At present we have more statements from American and Canadian universities than British Universities.

Don’t leave it to others, ask your University Vice Chancellor for a statement.

The UCU National Executive committee [NEC] met on June 8th and discussed the various boycott motions approved by Congress. It was agreed that the road show with Palestinian and Israeli academics would start in the autumn term with debates at some larger institutions or on a regional basis. The UCU General secretary Sally Hunt told the executive that she had already contacted the appropriate organisations. No decision was made as to what would happen after the road show.

The UCU Left in the meantime has issued a statement stating that:

1. They oppose any attempt to go over the heads of the democratically elected bodies of the union, the National Executive Committee and the National Congress.

2. They oppose to any attempt that might be made to peremptorily ‘resolve’ this issue which would involve bypassing UCU’s democratic structures or undermining properly-constituted decisions made at Annual Congress by branch delegates.

Depending on the response from the road show the NEC could then either refer the matter to next year’s Congress or they could agree to Sally Hunt’s proposal to ballot members on the issue assuming she asks for NEC approval for a ballot in the first place. With the UCU Left opposed to a ballot and also holding nearly 50% of the seats, will she be willing to take the risk of being defeated on the issue?

Our long term aim should be to build a presence at next years congress either by providing our own delegates or through alliances with others who are opposed to a boycott. This is the challenge for the coming year……volunteers please step forward.

Last month I attended a Peace Now UK event to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the six day war. Taking part were four former Middle East peace negotiators, two Israeli and two Palestinian. I asked them if the boycott calls would have any effect on peace negotiations. The overwhelming response from both sides was”NO”; the British Trade Unions are wasting their time and effort.

UNISON

UNISON, the UK's largest trade union, representing over 1.3 million members working in the public sector, private contractors and the utilities, voted at its annual conference in Brighton on 20 June by a majority of roughly 4-1, to support the campaign to boycott Israel, stating:

"Conference believes that ending the occupation demands concerted and sustained pressure upon Israel including an economic, cultural, academic and sporting boycott".

Other demands in the motion include “Conference continues to consider that a just solution to the Palestine-Israel conflict must be based upon international law and Israel should allow the refugees of 1948 to return home,”

Open letter by Nobel Laureates against the boycott, the Elie Wiesel foundation (attached)

Canada's university presidents are speaking out. The presidents of McGill, York University, the University of Montreal, Concordia University and the University of British Columbia are all taking a stand against the boycott (see first item in News).

In a personal email, Open University Professor B M Gourley said (15/6/07): "On a personal note, I do not support the proposed boycott."

In a personal email (8/6/07), Professor Deian Hopkin, Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive, London South Bank University said: "Frankly, the vote by UCU was a disgrace not simply because of its clear exceptionalism but because of its inherent inconsistency. If we boycott countries who occupy others, where does this leave the UK itself which, according to many experts, entered Iraq illegally? And we deal and trade with countries who have long occupied territory once held by others - perhaps we should stop trading with China because of the issue of Tibet. The reality is that we have to be realistic and pragmatic, and above all maintain dialogue. The problems of the Middle East will not be resolved by excluding people"…

"…I hope this reassures you that we, at this university, will not countenance any actions of the kind encouraged by the UCU vote. Nor will we tolerate unacceptable behaviour on our own campus".

Action Required

Continue to ask colleagues to vote against the academic boycott at the NewStatesman Poll . On 24/6 72% voted for the boycott and 28% against it. Today: 33 % are for the boycott and 67 % against it.http://www.newstatesman.com/polls/864

SPME Petition by Dershowitz, 20 Nobel Laureates and 20 College Presidents: An International Call To Academics and Professionals To Stand In Solidarity With Our Israeli Academic and Professional Colleagues petition : 6,149 signatures by academics

FULL TEXT: An open letter to General Secretary, The International Trade Union Confederation , by Maurice Ostroff

To Mr. Guy Ryder

General Secretary, The International Trade Union Confederation Copy to the President, Ms. Sharan , Burrow June 25, 2007

Dear Mr. Ryder,

From your report on the 2006 Annual Survey of the International Confederation of Free trade unions, it is alarming to learn of violations of workers' rights in as many as 137 countries and that trade unionists are met in many places with harassment, imprisonment, torture and even assassination.

One can read only with distress, the intolerable story of the 115 activists murdered because of legitimate trade union activities, in Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and the Middle East and about the 80 labour leaders assassinated in Colombia as well as restrictions on freedom of association in Burma, Belarus, Iran and Zimbabwe.

Against this background, the phenomenon of British trade unions narrowly focusing a boycott campaign only against Israel, while deliberately ignoring the awful conditions in other countries is blatantly unjust and lopsided. Their lack of even a semblance of balance sullies the reputation of the entire trade union movement, reflecting unfairly on your confederation, its 309 affiliated organisations and the 166 million workers it represents. The blatant prejudice exhibited by the minority casts serious doubt on their, and by association, your objectivity.

It is paradoxical that while Israel is singled out, the boycotters seem unconcerned, for example, about the two rockets recently fired by Palestinians into the house of the Deputy Secretary General of the Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions, Rasem Al Bayari, who directly blames the Palestinian authorities. He reports that Palestinian trade unionists are regularly shot at by the police when holding demonstrations in support of workers' rights, quoting the example of 13 workers killed by police in October-November 2006 at a demonstration calling for payment of wages.

By contrast, in Israel, the Histadrut and other workers' organizations whose members are drawn from all sections regardless of religion, race or gender are completely unfettered by the Israel government, even when mounting general strikes that threaten to disrupt the economy. Surely this calls for encouragement, rather than boycotts by fellow trade unions.

The boycotters cannot be unaware of the atrocious conditions in many countries as enumerated in your report and journalists who support the NUJ boycott exhibit obvious prejudice, failing as they do, to report events in their context. Concerned citizens find it scary that these journalists who exert a powerful influence on our lives impose their prejudices on the public.

Similarly, it is scary to realize how students are exposed to teachers who, by subscribing to the UCU boycott, dismally fail the test of intellectual honesty, a test that requires that all available facts be taken into account, including those that may contradict preconceived opinions.

May one hope that in the interests of preserving the good reputation of ITUC, your organization will publicly dissociate itself from the ill-considered, inequitable calls by individual trade unions to boycott Israel.

Your considered response will be appreciated,

Sincerely

Maurice Ostroff

Manchester anti -boycott public meeting 8 July 2007

Zionist Central Council and the Manchester Jewish Representative Council

Bill Rammell, the Minister of State for Higher Education, reiterated the opposition of the British Government to any academic boycott of Israel and pledged additional action to develop relations with Israeli and Palestinian academics at a meeting with Louise Ellman MP and other members of the Jewish Labour Movement (JLM) held on Monday 18th June.

Mr Rammell said that there was no justification for singling out Israel with a campaign of boycotts. Such a campaign was inherently discriminatory and threatened to undermine social cohesion. Education is a tool for increasing awareness and drawing people together. An academic boycott would drive people further apart and would not assist the peace process

Mr Rammell described the proposed seminar of Israeli, Palestinian and British academics to be hosted by his department and invited the input of the JLM.

He explained Universities UK (UUK) had clearly opposed a boycott and this was made clear by Drummond Bone, President of UUK, when he accompanied Bill Rammell on his visit to Israel. Bill Rammell confirmed that his department would continue to build better community cohesion through anti-racist and multi-faith education at all levels (FE, HE and Continuing Education) and by working across government departments.

Other members of the JLM delegation were Judith Bara, Henry Smith, Adrian Cohen and Alon Or-bach.

Patron:

The Chief Rabbi, Sir Jonathan Sacks

Advisory Board:

Dr Manfred Gerstenfeld - Chairman of the Board of Fellows, Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.

Henry Grunwald Q.C. - President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews

Amir Lev

John D A Levy - Director of the Academic Study Group on Israel and the Middle East

Andrew R. Marks, M.D. - Columbia University, USA

Dr Robin Stamler

Professor Leslie Wagner CBE

Rt Hon Lord Young of Graffham

The Academic Friends of Israel Ltd is limited by guarantee and registered in England No 5297417.